An Interview with John Anthony Craig – Photographer
What inspires you? What are your inspirations sources? Balance in self, culture and nature.
Which people or personality inspires you? Thich Nhat Hanh, Mother Teresa, Buddha, Jesus, My wife & daughter.
How does your creativity help/support/ or challenge you and people around you?Photography, composition and integral business has enveloped my critical thoughts. I enjoy being a photographer: I am lucky enough to earn a living without having to actually earn a living. Photography and composition is my life, there is no separation or ending/starting point of my work day.Integral business: It is what is fundamental and comprehensively connective to the ethics of my professional life. The goal of integral business is to work with a purpose. A balance lifestyle, satisfying clients, earn a living for my family and community and environmental service.Going forward I will further integrate integral business ethics into my photography business by reaching out and donating my services to nonprofit Pittsburgh PA organizations.
Which books, magazine, music, movie, website inspired you:
Zaadz, Craig Photography, Bach, Walden, Ken Wilber, Michael Hedges
What is the best creative example that you can remember? My dog running in the woods (peace with all)
What is your cure for lack of inspiration or best problem solving trick?
Today we live in a world were we can create a balance in self, culture & nature in body, mind and spirit. With the connection of eastern & western philosophy we can gather the best of the best for our personal practice.Music & photography offers a balance practice to me: I need to service my audience while being true to my composition. Inspiration needs to come from culture and nature: from the interior and exterior of self, soul & society. Meditation, yoga, academic study, diet has to keep me well in order for me to serve. For I and the audience are one: “the beginning illusion ending eternally.”
How do you use of your creativity in your life? How do you include it in your day to day work? Does your work feel like playing?Photography – I love what I do: It is a wonderful place in life to say I love what I do. I do not have a job or a profession maybe a calling but that might be a reach to say. I love being a working artist, photographer. There is no separation in my personal, professional life: it’s all the same. The idea that I do not have to go to work but I am always at work is my life. I get to see the world in many different perspectives: my job is controlling light to document a moment. What is light (top five reasons light is confusing by Stuart Davis). Light is simply a reflection of love: ok ok that is a little corny but that is what it is. It is that spark of divine moment that I capture in a camera for all eternity. Spark of divine moment? What is that? Life, sunrise, smiles, kissing, birth, death, breath, elements, you, me.
What is creativity for you? From one word to a paragraph, how would you describe it? Spiritual creativity is a phrase that has been crossing my path in resent reading. I feel that both words spiritual and creativity can/are use interchangeable in photography. They both represent a practice that is root in daily life and faith: you need to see/feel beyond your own five senses to transform and include your own senses for the practice to become faithful. Photography is only a moment of perspective.
